


Stargazing

by Mersheeple



Series: Hearts&Cauldrons Prompts [13]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:06:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25170598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mersheeple/pseuds/Mersheeple
Summary: Severus didn't know why it mattered that he couldn't remember his constellations and stars. Hermione wanted to show him the stars. Who was he to argue?
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Series: Hearts&Cauldrons Prompts [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1805746
Comments: 13
Kudos: 51
Collections: Hearts and Cauldrons - Daily Prompts!, Hearts and Cauldrons Discord Members





	Stargazing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thebarsofhisplight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebarsofhisplight/gifts).



> Thank you my lovely friend for a wonderful prompt! I hope this was what you were looking for!

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Hermione looked at him with a puzzled look on her face. Severus sighed and smiled sheepishly, ducking his head so that his hair covered his cheeks.

“I don’t know stars and astronomy and…I failed my Astronomy OWL Miss Granger. The only star I know the name of is the big yellow one that lights up our days.” Severus frowned as she said nothing. He thought perhaps he had given himself away when she had asked him to look over the star chart that she was using for her Arithmancy equations.

“Don’t do that Severus. Don’t go back to calling me Miss Granger. There is nothing to be ashamed of if you don’t know. But…” Hermione hesitated, trailing off and frowning at him.

“Don’t do that Hermione. Don’t trail off. Where’s that Gryffindor courage?” Perhaps pushing back was a little cruel but if she were not used to his cruelty now, she never would be.

“But if you are interested, there is supposed to be a clear night tomorrow and I could show you a few of the more common constellations. Unless…oh bother…are you busy tomorrow night?” She looked flustered and he frowned, trying to work out why he would be busy, specifically on the next night.

“I have no plans tomorrow Hermione…why would I?” Severus lifted one side of his mouth in a passable smile and she blushed prettily and smiled.

“It doesn’t matter. So…umm…I will meet you here tomorrow night at 8pm? It will be dark then and we can go outside and sit by the lake if that is agreeable?” He nodded and smiled at her, taking his leave with a slight bow, and heading to his chambers. He sipped a drink and thought again of the pretty Gryffindor who had become his friend in the three years since the end of the War. He smiled to himself as he thought of how much he had pleaded with Minerva to not make him take on an Apprentice, especially one as insufferable as Hermione ‘Gryffindor Princess’ Granger. That had been a year ago and he could not imagine his life without her anymore.

Oh sure, they argued occasionally. Usually when their debates about the merits of certain methods of ingredient preparation became personal. He would usually call her a child and she would call him a cantankerous old git. She was never wrong but it still was rather unfair of her to remind him that he was old. The git part had been part of his make up for more years than he dared to think about. It had nothing to do with his age.

The morning dawned bright, cold and clear and he smiled to himself as he slid out of the sheets into the frigid air of the dungeons. He stretched his arms above his head, hearing his back pop loudly and made his way to the bathroom. He had plenty of time for a shower he was sure but he cast a Tempus charm just in case. His eyes popped open fully and he whistled lowly. Somehow, he had slept in and had only twenty minutes before he was due to teach a class of rambunctious teenagers. He longingly eyed the shower and realised that if he wanted to eat breakfast, he did not have time for a shower. He cursed and cast his Patronus. Apprentices had to be useful for something didn’t they?

He stared at the strange looking Patronus and smiled sadly. His doe was gone. Oh, it had changed various times but he had not cast his Patronus in long enough that this change was most unwelcome and unexpected. It appeared to be some form of wolf now. He sent it to find Hermione with a message to bring something edible and asked the House Elves to bring him coffee to his classroom. He stepped into the shower and groaned as the hot water beat down on him. Today was going to be a good day, he could just feel it.

His morning had been abysmal. His first class of the day, Third Year Ravenclaw/Slytherin, had been an unmitigated disaster. Severus had refused to come back to the school if he was forced to teach Gryffindor/Slytherin classes and so the new groups across the board were Ravenclaw and Slytherin together while Gryffindor were paired with Hufflepuff. It had not actually helped matters. Now he had two frustrating groups of dunderheads in every year, rather than just the one.

In his first class, three cauldrons had almost blown up because there were new couples everywhere. Somehow, Severus had managed to forget that it was February. More importantly that it was Valentine’s Day. And suddenly, Hermione’s comment from the day before made slightly more sense. And yet, in other ways, slightly less sense. Why would she think he was going to busy on Valentine’s Day? No one wanted to spend Valentine’s Day with him.

Except she did. She had spoken to him just before class, handing him a bacon sandwich that smelled like heaven to him. She had confirmed he was not busy that night and that he was going to be alright in the chill of the night, spending time with her. He had simply nodded and promised to bring a blanket to sit on just in case the grass was too cold. She had laughed softly and told him that February, in Scotland, by the Black Lake, at 8pm it was bound to be cold.

His afternoon was only slightly better. Now that he had been reliably been informed that it was Valentine’s Day he was able to avoid any disasters by splitting up the distracted happy couples and informing them that he did not care if they were in love, no not even if it was true love, they still were not going to be working with anyone they gave a pet name to. Hermione had smiled at him and softly whispered that she would be sure to stop calling him ‘snookie baby’ when they were working together. He had snorted a half-laugh before sending a withering glare her way.

It was at the end of their lessons, but before dinner, that his day had finally become what could be classed as good. She had hesitated after class and he had raised an eyebrow in question.

“Are you quite sure you don’t have any plans for this evening, Severus? I won’t be offended if you are busy. Or if you’ve changed your mind about joining me.” She was blushing prettily and he was desperately trying not to notice the way she fidgeted with the cuff of her robes, or the way her hair caught the remnants of the light streaming from the sconces as they dwindled down.

“I have no plans Hermione. I am looking forward to spending the night with you. The evening. The…time with the stars, out in public, by the side of the lake. Now…I will see you in the Entrance Hall at 8pm?” He stood and gave a nervous half bow before he darted into his office and straight through to his bedchambers, warding both doors behind him as he gasped for breath. What in Merlin’s name was that? _I am looking forward to spending the night with you?_ What had he been thinking?

He had considered changing his mind. For all of about three minutes. He couldn’t do it. Letting her down on any day was hard. Doing so on Valentine’s Day was downright cruel. Whether there were any romantic feelings on her part at all, she had chosen to spent tonight with him and there was no chance he would hurt her. Not for all the money in the world.

He picked up an extra thick blanket and wondered about if they would need anything else to look at the stars. He frowned, staring at the ground. It was unlike him to be so unsure but he was not very good at making friends and this was something he wanted to try to keep. It might be odd, it might be different, it might even be strange but he loved it. He loved it.

Oh.

Oh fuck.

He loved _her_.

The blanket fell to the ground and he swore again, picking it up and checking the time with a quick Tempus charm. He had only fifteen minutes before they were due to meet. He had somehow managed to miss dinner while having a crisis and he closed his eyes in frustration. Today he seemed to be failing at being an adult. Completely and utterly failing. He took a deep cleansing breath and left his chambers, warding the doors as he walked away, hurrying through the castle.

“I thought you’d stood me up.” Her voice sounded slightly shaky as he rounded the corner and he watched her shoulders sag with relief. He shook his head.

“Never.” He wasn’t lying. He would never not be wherever she asked him to be, wherever she told him to be. She gave him one of her special smiles, the ones that not only reached her eyes and made them shine but also lit up her whole face, the whole room if he were to be asked. She slipped her arm through his and tugged him closer to her, walking out through the doors and out into the brisk night.

“Come on, I have so much I want to show you.” They walked in companionable silence and stopped at the edge of Black Lake. She cast a warming charm on the ground and he flicked the blanket out for them to sit on. She sat first and patted the blanket next to herself, lying down and propping herself up on her arms. He shuffled next to her and looked out at the lake.

“Severus, you’ll be better at stargazing if you actually look at the stars.” She giggled softly and folded her arms behind her head, lying flat and relaxed, looking straight up at the clear night sky. He took a breath and cast a mild warming charm on them both and lay back next to her.

“Ok, do you remember any of the constellations at all?” Hermione spoke into the silent night and Severus tried to think of anything but how close she was to him.

“Orion’s belt has three stars across it.” He pointed vaguely to the constellation he recognised.

“Right…ok, so if you follow Orion’s arm up that way, the next constellation we can see is Gemini.” With a whispered charm she drew the lines of the constellation of Orion before drawing Gemini in its place.

“Oh.” He sighed, a happy noise passing his lips as he started to see the constellations as more than just a series of dots.

“Then there’s Cancer, just over here, though how that is a crab I don’t know.” Hermione giggled slightly and he wanted to find a way to make it happen again.

“What’s your favourite?” It was probably an inane question but he needed to keep her talking. Silence was his enemy. It gave him too much time to think or imagine kissing her.

“Constellation or star? Because that’s two different questions.” She sighed happily and seemed to move closer, her head leaning on his elbow now, close to cuddling him.

“Both. Why don’t you tell me about both?” He found himself quite comfortable with the young woman leaning partially against him and was in no hurry to ask her to move.

“Constellation, I love Cassiopeia. Just there.” She traced the lines of the constellation and he smiled. It looked like a W to him. He knew the legend and mythology of Cassiopeia though.

“An untouchable woman trapped away from her lover? Yes I can see the romanticism.” He sniffed with amusement and she shrugged against him, moving slightly closer. Her hip was now pressed against his and he only barely managed to hold in his groan.

“A woman so beautiful she has the confidence to tell a God how beautiful she is? That’s what I like. And then my favourite star is just here, in the constellation of Leo.” She circled the star and opened her mouth to name it when he suddenly remembered the name.

“Regulus. He…he told me once that his brother may be a Gryffindor but his star was in the Lion.” Severus dropped his chin to look at her and she gave him one of her special smiles again. He couldn’t help himself. He had tried not to notice her lips. He had really tried. His hand reached out and he stroked his thumb over the smile. Her lips parted on a soft gasp and he thought to move away until her tongue touched his thumb gently. He took a shaky breath and she moved, pushing herself up to hover slightly over him. She leaned forwards until he could feel her breath on his lips as she whispered to him.

“Happy Valentine’s Day Severus.”


End file.
